It won't happen to me: Lower perception of heart disease risk among women with family histories of breast cancer

Background. The threat that breast cancer poses to American women, particul arly to women with family histories of the disease, has received widespread attention in both medical and popular literatures. While this emphasis may have laudable consequences on breast cancer screening, it may also have a negative consequence, obscuring women's recognition of their risks for othe r health threats, such as heart disease. This study examined the possibilit y that women with family histories of breast cancer may be particularly sus ceptible to overestimating their risks of breast cancer while minimizing th eir risks of cardiovascular disease. Methods. Healthy women with (n = 73) and without (n = 104) family histories of breast cancer (64% African American, 26% Caucasian, 10% other ethniciti es, mean age 41.7 years) were recruited from medical centers in New York Ci ty, and completed questionnaires concerning their family histories and perc eptions of risk. Results, Consistent with the study hypothesis, women with family histories of breast cancer had significantly higher perceived lifetime risk of breast cancer (P < 0.0002) but lower perceived lifetime risk of heart disease (P < 0.002) than women without family histories. Additionally, women with fami ly histories of breast cancer had lower perceived colon cancer risk (P < 0. 02), suggesting that women with family histories of breast cancer may be un derestimating their risks for a variety of diseases, Conclusion. The emphasis on breast cancer risk, especially for women with f amily histories of the disease, may need to be balanced by educational effo rts concerning women's risk of other diseases, particularly cardiovascular disease. (C) 2000 American Health Foundation and Academic Press.